“The roads are dominated by cars while cyclists are marginalised, abused and even killed. But when the everyday violence of this really hits you, like it hit us when we lost Claud, it is a wake up call. Cyclists need space, they need to share a wide lane with other bikes not buses. No matter how strong a cyclist you are (and Claudia was very strong), you don’t stand a chance against a bus. Buses are not the problem; they are an important alternative to private vehicle use, but they too need their own lane.

“Private motor vehicles which pollute our air, clog our streets, and cause many thousands of injuries and deaths every year need to be de-prioritised. Private cars and vans do not belong on our city’s roads.”

He cited the main roads into the centre – Abingdon Road, Cowley Road, Banbury Road, Woodstock Road, London Road and Botley Road – as particularly failing to protect cyclists and pedestrians.

Oxford City council leader Bob Price said: “This tragic death underlined the urgent need for a radical change in the County Council’s approach to cycling. Our roads are generally narrow and safe cycling requires a clear separation of motor vehicles from bikes, in dedicated cycle lanes.”

An Oxfordshire county council representative said: “Our thoughts are with the family and friends of Claudia Comberti at this sad time.

“More cycling, and safer cycling is very much part of the county council’s transport vision and we have been working actively with cycle groups to develop the kind of proposals that they would like to see delivered.

“Many of the changes that can relatively easily be made to roads and paths have been done – the more ambitious changes take longer to plan and often require substantial outside funding. This is why it is it is vital that councils work positively with cyclist groups and why we will continue to do this.”

To sign the petition, visit https://tinyurl.com/mjqof9c

An inquest into Claudia Comberti’s death opened yesterday (Wednesday).